With the new year having just begun, it’s predicted that thousands may book their summer holidays this weekend, to make sure they have something to look forward to.
But travellers are being warned to check their passport is valid now, rather than waiting to closer to their trip.
Alvaro Iturmendi, Confused.com travel insurance expert, said: “Booking your holidays can be very exciting, and a welcome distraction to the beginning of the year blues.
“But no matter how far in advance you’re planning, it’s never too early to check your passport’s validity, so you don’t get caught out last minute.
“Our research found that less than half (43%) of travellers knew that if you’re heading to the EU, your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before their departure date.
“And if your passport doesn’t meet this regulation, it could mean you’re denied entry into the country or may not even be allowed on the flight in the first place.
“Either way, it’s likely to lead to a lot of disruption to your holiday plans.
“An emergency passport could cost up to £207 depending on its urgency.
“And if you leave it to the last minute, having to take time off work and travel to visit a passport office could become costly and time consuming. This is especially true if you need to visit an office far from home.
“Unfortunately, travel insurance will not cover the cost of last-minute travel for an emergency passport, nor for any missed flights or holidays.
“It’s important to always double-check your passport’s expiration date as soon as you start planning your trip, and leave yourself ample time to renew it if needed.”
Can you still use a red passport in 2025?
UK passports are now a deep blue in colour and the newest ones are the King Charles III passports following his coronation but can the old deep red ones still be used?
If you’re going on holiday and are worried that your red/burgundy passport isn’t accepted anymore, there’s no need to worry.
Burgundy passports are still allowed to be used in 2025 if they remain valid for travel so you’ll need to check the expiry date and the rules regarding how much time you should have left on your passport to travel to your chosen destination.
If your passport still has ‘European Union’ on the cover, you can still use it but only if it’s valid for travel, according to the Government website.
You’ll probably find that when it’s time to renew your passport next, you’ll be given a blue one but you don’t need to renew your passport unless yours has expired or it doesn’t have enough time left on it for travel.
How to renew your passport
If your passport needs to be renewed, you can apply for a new one either by post or online.
Renewing passports online is cheaper than filling out paper forms and sending them off via the post.
To renew your passport, you’ll need to find your old passport and any passports you might have from another country.
If you have a passport from another country, you’ll need to send either photocopies of each page, including blank ones, or send the physical passport.
